Not A Cellulite Cure--Roc Retinol Actif Pur
Written: May 31 '02 (Updated May 31 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Some slight improvement-but only WHILE USING!
Cons: Expensive, is used up quickly, odd scent
The Bottom Line: This will not eliminate cellulite. Any improvement it makes is a temporary one.
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| tiasmom's Full Review: Roc Retinol Actif Pur Anti Cellulite Treatment |
While technically I paid $13 for a canister of Roc Retinol Actif Pur Anti-Cellulite Treatment, I’m relieved to say I didn’t actually lose any cash over it. Since a once a month assignment in our base military exchange pays me with gift certificates, I don’t quite mind as much when I use them to splurge a little. I’m especially glad I didn’t have to pay money for this product because the contents of the can disappears within a few weeks even though it claims to take at least 8 weeks for results.
Description
Retinol Actif Pur is a gel-like skin treatment that comes in an aluminum canister similar to shaving cream or hairspray. There is a clear plastic cap on top that pops off to reveal a pump type applicator. Be careful though. The contents tend to shoot out like silly string, especially when it’s very full.
The product claims to reduce the appearance of cellulite in 8 weeks. I knew it would not actually get rid of the stuff. That can only be done with diet and exercise. Even then some of it can remain since cellulite can affect anyone. In my case I was “lucky” enough to inherit it from my mother’s side of the family. . My poor 11 year old daughter is beginning to get a few dimples even though she is not overweight. I was simply looking for something that might improve the appearance for the shorts season even if it wouldn’t actually cure it. Skin firming creams and anti-cellulite treatments do temporarily thicken the skin making it appear smoother.
The lotion is peach colored and comes out in thin ribbons. There is an odd chemical odor. You can certainly detect the alcohol in it. Luckily it disappears fairly quickly, but at first it’s not really pleasant. It is supposed to be applied twice a day and massaged into the skin.
It claims to reduce cellulite with caffeine, retinal and ruscus (also known as Butcher’s Broom). Retinol actually does have some benefit to the skin because it can reduce some sun damage and approve its appearance. Since it’s the last ingredient other than color, though, there isn’t enough of it to do much good. And there is no proof it will actually work on cellulite. Caffeine in this product supposedly will combine with the other ingredients to improve circulation. According to the packaging, cellulite may be caused by poor blood circulation. This is simply not true. However, according to other sources I came up during research on the web, cellulite can be caused by too much water in the skin. It that were the case, it would make more sense for Roc to claim the caffeine will act as a diuretic and purge the skin of excess water. Other cosmetics have made this claim when adding caffeine even if it has been shown that caffeine won’t work topically and has to work through the kidneys.
Actually, according to Paula Begoin, an author and beauty expert, coffee beans contain theophylline which has been shown to affect fat cells. But it has not been proven to do so topically. Finally, the Butcher’s Broom is sometimes used to constrict the blood vessels in certain medical conditions. It also discourages the formation of blood clots and has anti-inflammatory properties. It’s supposed to be especially good for hemorrhoids. Now, I can’t really see how blood vessels have anything at all to do with cellulite, but maybe Roc knows something I don’t. Maybe they think someone out there would actually mistake swollen veins for cellulite and be helped by this. Who knows? Ruscus has been used in Europe to treat circulatory disorders, so maybe since the company actually believes cellulite is caused by poor circulation they feel this would cure it.
So What is Cellulite Anyway?
Cellulite is actually ordinary fat tissue. Strands of fibrous tissue connect the skin to deeper layers and separate compartments containing fat cells. When the fat cells increase, the compartments bulge producing dimpled skin. Most cellulite can be found on the thighs and butt. It’s not caused by too much fat or trapped toxins. It’s simply the visibility of subcutaneous fat cells. This is why creams that temporarily thicken the skin can make these fat layers less visible.
It’s not common in men but they can get it. Mainly it’s a woman’s problem. Women naturally contain more fat than men and hold onto a sufficient amount for giving birth and milk production. The last fat stores are stored in the thighs and buttocks making these the toughest places to lose fat. Also, a woman’s fat cells are structured differently and the vertical connective tissue can cause pulling. Using hormonal contraceptives from an early age is another way cellulite can accumulate. Fat reduction is the only real way to control cellulite other than liposuction.
Using The Product
As directed, I used the treatment twice a day, once in the evening and once in the morning. It absorbs quickly but the skin is left feeling wet for around 5 minutes. I could never get dressed immediately. There is no way to tell how much is in the can since it is opaque. You can’t even hear it when you shake it since it is under pressure. Within a couple of weeks I could tell it was getting low. There was more air in it and it didn’t come out as quickly.
Within about 3 weeks it was completely gone. Since it tells you to use it for 8 weeks to see results, I felt ripped off. I took it to the store to complain and got a second can. However, the same thing happened again. It was not just a defective can apparently. It just doesn’t go that far unless perhaps you are very stingy with the amount you use. I finished up the second can just now.
Results
I could feel a tingling in the skin. At first my legs felt very jumpy and restless at night in bed and it was an uncomfortable feeling. I adjusted to it, though, and didn’t notice it so much after a while. I still felt a warm sensation though. My skin became visibly tighter and firmer, but only when I was regularly using it. Between cans the effects diminished fairly quickly. As long as you are using it there are slight results. The appearance of the dimpled skin improved somewhat as well.
It is not drying or greasy and my skin felt smooth. In my experience it didn’t take 8 weeks to see results. Within a week or so there was some increased firmness. The cellulite never actually disappeared, but it became less visible by about 50% or so several weeks into the treatment.
Final Thoughts
If you have tried diet and exercise but still have some areas you would like to improve, these treatments are a temporary solution. They could at least get you through a beach vacation or something similar. I’m not sure everyone will have the same results though.
Though the can calls this a new discovery, creams like this have been around a while. Now Neutrogena has a very similar product in a can. It contains more Retinol but I’ve heard it is even more expensive.
If you do any kind of research on cellulite, you will find very conflicting information. Just be sure to check and see who is putting out the data. Is it a company trying to sell a pill or cream that they say will cure cellulite? I’ve noticed some people are even trying to sell books telling you what foods to eat or avoid to be cured of cellulite. These companies almost always say cellulite is caused by excess water in the skin collapsing tissue and making the fat cells break through. If you use their creams, they claim all this water will disappear and get rid of the cellulite. They say cellulite is never hereditary. However, all the medical sites seem to agree that it is hereditary, is just regular fat, and that 90% of women have some of it. Diet and exercise, they say, are the only was to control it even if it may not disappear 100%.
There is no way I’m going to continue with this product now that it’s gone. It’s just not worth it. They had a “bikini boot camp” segment on the daily news that showed a fitness instructor teaching 3 moves that they claim would give you a better body in 2 weeks if you do it daily. Those exercises actually worked better than this cream, even after I had only been doing them a week. I’m still doing them and I think I’ve done enough experimenting with “miracle” cellulite cures for now.
Ingredients: Water, Butylene Glycol, Cyclomethicone, Isononyl Isononanoate, Alcohol (2.73%), Glycerin, Caffeine, Dimethicone, Dimethicone Copolyol, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Shea Butter, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethiconol, Methylparaben, BHT, Menthoxypropanediol, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Ginkgo Biloba Extract, Butcherbroom Extract, Polysorbate 20, Retinol, FD&C Yellow No. 6.
(Note: The first several ingredients and some of the others are used in cans of hairspray as well)
These are some of the sources where I found information. Not all information was taken from the web though:
http://www.betterlife.com/education/topic_39.html
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm/ID/2956
http://content.ebody.com/plastic_surgery/articles/200001/article220.html
http://www.askjeeves.com
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